Oscillating-piston engine.



PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907; P. A. BRBDSVOLD. OSQILLATI'NG PISTON ENGINE."

APPLIOATIQN FILED MARA, 1907.

4 snare-sum 2.

- l/WE/VTOR P; A. Bredsvold v Arm/M a's .HE mamas PETERS cox, w

PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

I. A. B'REDSVOLD. \OSGILLATING PISTON ENGINE. I APPLICATION FILED MAR-4,1907- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- llVI/EIVTOR P. A.Bredsvo1d.

I v 0 2 ATTORNEYS m2 xuwms PETERS co., WASHINGTQN. o. c

PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907. P. A. BREDSVOLD. OSGILLATING PISTON ENGINE.

7 APPLICATION FILED MAB..4, 1907.

4 8HBETS-SHEET 4.

we/won P.,A-.Bred3vo1d. Br

WITNESSES. mm.

ATTORNEYS rue "clams PETERS ca WASHINGTON, n c

' view of the parts shown in UNITED STATESMPATENT OFFICE.

PAULA. BREDSVOLD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOHERBERT A.

VROOMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

OSCILLATING-PISTON ENGINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL A. BREDSVOLD, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certainnew and useful Im rovements in Oscillating-Piston Engines, of which thefollowing is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enableany one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompany ing drawings, forming part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to oscillating" piston engines, and moreparticularly to that class of engines in which a plurality of pistonsare employed, said pistons being preferably arranged in a common pistonchamber.

One object of my invention is to provide means of causing the pistons tomove with equal angular velocity, thereby overcoming the unequal strainscaused in this class of engines when the action of the engine dependsupon the unequal angular velocity of the various pistons.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved valve mechanismfor controlling the supply of motive fluid to and eX- haust thereof fromthe pistons.

Still another object of my invention is to provide improved means forchanging the oscillating movement of the pistons into rotary movement.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of engine madein accordance with my invention, together with a slight modificationthereof, Figure 1 is a section of the line 11 of Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is asection of the line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1,but showing some of the parts removed and also showing the movable partsin a different position. Fi 4 is a top plan %Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is an endelevation and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing a slightmodification. Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in theseveral views of the drawings.

10 represents the main housing in which is formed the piston chamber 11.The main housing 10 is provided with two end pieces 12 and 13respectively. The end piece 13 is covered by a cap 14. The ends 12 and13 and the cap 1.4 are held in position by means of bolts 15 in theusual manner. The space inclosed by the cap 14 forms the steam chest 16of the engine. Passing through the ends Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 4, 1907- Serial No. 360589.

Patented Dec. 3, 1 907.

12 and 13 and the cap 14 is the crank shaft 17.' l

Surrounding the shaft 17 within the piston chamber 11 is a sleeve 18 inwhich sleeve are formed the bearings 19 for the oscillating pistons 20,the said pistons 20 being provided with shafts 21 seated in the said.bearings 19. These shafts 21 project through the end 12 and have securedto them the connections for rotating the shaft 17, as will behereinafter more fully described. At the opposite end of the engine, thesaidshafts 21 are journaled in the head 13. essary, however, for twoof'the said shafts 21 to project through the head 13. Secured to thesetwo shafts 21 are fingers 25 and cam lifters 26.

Surrounding the crank shaft 17 within the steam chest 16 is a disk valve27, the said valve 27 being provided with openings 28 for the passage ofthe shafts 21 and the fingers 25. These openings 28 are so formed as toprovide contacting surfaces 29 which are engaged by the fingers 25 toshift the disk valve 27. The parts are so proportioned, however, thatthe contact of the fingers 215 with the faces 29 only moves the valve 27through portions of its travel. The remaining part of the travel isaccomplished by means of spring arms 30 pivoted to astud 31 carried inthe end 13. Each of these arms 30 is provided with a roller 34 adaptedto engage with a retaining lug 32 carried by the disk 27 and thus retainthe disk in fixed position during a ortion of the travel of the pistons.Each of the retaining lugs 32 is provided with a cam face 33, which isadapted to be engaged by one of the rollers 34 to complete the movementof the disk. Formed in the disk 27 are two pairs of ports 35 and 36respectively. The ports 35 are adapted to be moved alternately into andout of register with ports 37 in the ends 13, and the ports 36 areadapted to be moved alternately into and out-of register with It is onlynec- V supply of motive fluid is reversed.

pistons through the ports 36 and 38.

is as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings and steam, or other motive fluid, is admitted to the steamchest 16 through inlet port 43, the disk valve being in the positionshown, the ports 35 in the disk valve 27 and the ports 37 in the end 13are in register so that the motive fluid passes through said ports intothe space between the two opposite pairs of pistons, thus driving theupper pair of pistons outwardly and downwardly in opposite directions,and driving the lower pair of pistons upwardly and outwardly in oppositedirections. As the pistons near the end of their travel, the fingers 25of the shafts 21 will come in contact with the faces 29 formed by theopenings 28 and thus move the valve disk through a portion of itstravel. Such movement of the disk, however, is not suflicient tocomplete the movement of the valve. It is sulflcient, however, to causethe upper roller 34 to engage with the incline 33 on the lug 32 and thuscause the completion of the movement of the disk. By this construction,I am enabled to allow the pistons to complete their stroke before the Inorder to overcome the difficulty of lifting the lower roller 34 by meansof the incline 33, upon the lower lug I provide the cam lifters 26,

which, as will be seen, are so arranged as to lift the said roller 34before the fingers 25 come in contact-with the faces 29. As soon as themovement of the disk has been completed, the parts will be in theposition shown in Fig. 3, and the motive fluid will be admitted betweenthe two opposite pair of The upper pair of pistons will now be movedupwardly and inwardly and the two lower pair of pistons downwardly andinwardly, the operations of the parts being the reverse of that abovedescribed.

In order to change the oscillating movement of the pistons 20 to rotarymovement, I secure to the shafts 21 of said pistons, where they projectthrough the end 12, arms 45. Each of these arms 45- has pivoted to itone end of a link 46, the opposite end of which is pivoted to acrosshead 47 running in a guide way 48. Each of the crossheads 47 haspivoted to it a link 49, which is pivoted at its opposite end to one ofthe wrist pins 50 of a double crank 51. It will be evident from thisconstruction that the vibrating movement of the pistons will becommunicated as rotary movement to the crank shaft 17.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slight modification, which may be used in casethe engine is used to drive machinery requiring only a reciprocating orvibrating movement. In this constructionthe cross-heads and connectingparts are omitted and the shafts 21 areprovided with gear wheels 55which .mesh with each other and insure an equal angular velocity of thevarious pistons. The machinery to be driven may be then connecteddirectly to one or more of the shafts 21.

It will be evident that in the operation of my engine the parts arealways submitted to equal and opposite strains as the various pairs ofpistons move in opposite directions with equal angular velocity, andconsequently the engines will not be subject to strains such as arepresent in reciprocating engines or in oscillating piston engines wherethe pistons move with different angular velocity. Moreover the valvemechanism of my engine is such as to secure the most el'licientoperation of the engine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with fourindependently pivoted oscillating pistons arranged in a common pistonchamber, of supply and discharge ports for alternately admitting fluidto and from said chamber between opposite pairs of pistons.

2. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with fourindependently pivoted oscillating pistons arranged in a common pistonchamber, of means for alternately admitting motive fluid to andexhausting it from said piston chamber between opposite pairs ofpistons, and means for causing said pistons to move with the sameangular velocity. v

3. In a steam engine or the like, the combination With fourindependently pivoted oscillating pistons symmetrically arranged arounda center, of means for alternately admitting motive fluid betweenopposite pairs of pistons, a common crank shaft for said pistons, andconnections between said pistons and crank shaft.

4. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofoscillating pistons, of a valve device controlling the admission ofmotive fluid to and the exhaust thereof from said pistons, meansactuated by said pistons for moving said valve device through a part ofits travel, and other means for completing the travel of said valvedevice.

5. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofoscillating pistons, of a valve device controlling the admission ofmotive fluid to and exhaust thereof from said pistons, means actuated bysaid pistons for moving said valve device through a part of its travel,other means for completing the travel of said valve device, and meansfor causing said pistons to move with the same angular velocity.

6. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofoscillating pistons, of a valve device controlling the admission ofmotive fluid to and exhaust thereof from said pistons, means actuated bysaid pistons for moving said valve device through 7. In a steam engineor the like, the com bination with a plurality of oscillating pistons,of a valve device controlling the admission of motive fluid to andexhaust thereof from said pistons, means actuated by said pistons formoving said valve device through a part of its travel, other meansforcompleting the travel of said valve device, said latter means alsoserving to retain said valve device in a fixed position during a part ofthe movement of said pistons, and means forcausing said pistons to movewith the same angular velocity.

8. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofoscillating pistons, of a valve device controlling the admission ofmotive fluid to and exhaust thereof from said pistons, means actuated bysaid pistons for moving said valve device through a part of its travel,and a yielding arm for completing the travel of said valve device.

9. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofoscillating pistons, of a valve device controlling the admissionofmotive fluid to and exhaust thereof from said pistons, means actuated bysaid pistons for moving said valve device through a part of its travel,and a yielding arm for completing the travel of said valve device, saidarm also serving to retain said valve device in a fixed position duringa portion of the movement of said pistons. I

10. In. a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofoscillating pistons, of a valve device controlling the admission ofmotive fluid to and exhaust thereof from said pistons, means actuated bysaid pistons for moving said valve device through a part of its travel,a yielding arm for completing the travel of said valve device, and alifter for said arm actuated by said pistons. 11. In a steam engine orthe like, the combination with oscillating pistons, of a valve devicecontrolling the admission of motive fluid to and exhaust thereof fromsaid pistons, means actuated by said pistons for moving said valvedevice through a part of its travel, and a yielding arm for completingthe travel of said valve device, said arm also serving to retain saidvalve device in fixed position during a portion of the movement of saidpistons, and a lifter for said arm actuated by said pistons.

12. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofindependently pivoted oscillating pistons, of a valve disk controllingthe admission of motive. fluid to and exhaust thereof from said istons,said disk being provided with cam aces, means actuated by said pistonsfor moving said disk through a part of its travel, and yieldinglymounted members cooperating with said cams to move said disk through theremainder of its travel.

13. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofindependently pivoted oscillating pistons, of a valve disk controllingthe admission of motive fluid to I and exhaust thereof from saidpistons, said disk being provided with detents and cam faces, meansactuated by said pistons for moving said disk through apart of itstravel, and yieldingly mounted members cooperating with said detents toretain said disk in fixed position and with said cams to com plete thetravel of said disk.

14. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with a plurality ofindependently pivoted oscillating pistons, of a movable disk controllingthe admission of motive fluid to and exhaust thereof from the saidpistons, said disk being provided with. detents and cam faces, meansactuated'by said pistons for moving said disk through a part of itstravel, yieldingly mounted members cooperating with said detents toretain said disk in position and with said cams to complete the travelof said disk, and camlifters actuated from said pistons for lifting saidyieldingly mounted members.

15. In a steam engine or the like, the com bination with a plurality ofindependently pivoted oscillating pistons, of a valve disk controllingthe admission of motive fluid to and exhaust thereof from said pistons,said disk being provided with detents and cam faces, means actuated bysaid pistons for moving said disk through a part of its travel, springmounted arms cooperating with said detents to retain said dis in saidposition and with said cams to complete the travel of said disk, and camlifters actuated by said piston for moving said arms.

16. In a steam engine or the like, the combination with fourindependently pivoted oscillating pistons arranged in a common pistonchamber, of means for alternately ad: mitting motive fluid to andexhausting it from said piston chamber between opposite pairs ofpistons, an arm carried by each of said pistons, a pair of crossheads,links connecting two or said arms to each of said crossheads, a doublecrank, and connections be tween said crank and said crossheads.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal inthe presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL A. BREDSVOLD.

Witnesses:

W; A. ALEXANDER, ELIZABETH BAILEY

